Shields And Arrows
by Amerihawk
Summary: When an arrow hits a shield, it bounces right off and falls to the ground. This time, the arrow sticks to the shield and becomes attached, unable to let go. These are the stories of Steve and Clint's life together.
1. Uncover

Chapter 1- Uncover

* * *

Steve said it was a bad idea from the start.

When Maria Hill and Natasha had developed the idea of someone posing as Steve's boyfriend to lure the Winter Soldier out of hiding, he had done nothing but protest. Despite his arguments that it would be cruel to use their once relationship to taunt Bucky into revealing himself to them, literally everybody had told him that the Winter Soldier probably didn't know of what they had been once upon a time. They thought Steve would be crushed, but Steve had forced himself to move on once he thought Bucky had died on the Hydra Train. It had been Steve who pointed out the obvious: _If Bucky doesn't know if we were even a thing, why would me having a fake boyfriend make him reveal himself?_

Maria's answer had been too confusing for Steve to even think about afterwards, so he ignored it and just nodded.

When deciding who exactly was to live at Steve's apartment with him under the watchful gaze of the Winter Soldier, Maria and Nick Fury had the final say. They had ruled out Thor and Bruce immediately: Bruce being too unpredictable with his episodes and Thor due to his familiar requirements that would cause him to have to sporadically leave Steve alone for several months at a time. That left Sam, Tony and Clint in their immediate radar. Tony had immediately withdrawn himself from consideration once it was clear that he was even being considered.

Maria had initially favoured Sam, as a direct result of her continuing mistrust of Clint. Fury thought that Clint would be better, having more undercover experience and a slightly better relationship with Steve.

Thankfully Steve had not had to choose between the two.

In the end, Fury's arguments won over Maria's concerns.

Clint had smirked at him. "Looks like I'm moving in, babe."

Steve rolled his eyes good-naturedly and thought back to the night that he and Clint had secretly fooled around while Natasha was away on a mission and, thus, unable to sexually satisfy Clint. When Clint had explained how bad his blue balls were, Steve had reluctantly revealed that he empathised and thus a sexual relationship was born. It had only been a few times, a few _very_ good times, but it had been enough to make this impending situation a lot less awkward. The way Steve saw it, when you've been literally inside of someone, there's not a lot you can't share with them. Including a house, a life and a fake relationship.

Little did they know that that fake relationship would become very real _very_ quickly.

* * *

 **Two Weeks Later**

 **Night #5- 17** **th** **March 2014**

"So when can I expect the Winter Soldier to come busting my ass for stealing his boyfriend?"

With Clint all moved in, the two had started to get to know each other better, though not because of the ruse they were creating. Both of their natural distrust had led to them having disputes about the way they each lived their lives. From such things as meal times to the volume of the television, they seemed to disagree on everything. Steve being Steve usually let Clint have things his way.

Though not when it came to Honesty Hour.

The two had implemented it as soon as Clint had set foot in the house. One hour a night, they both took turns asking questions about the other, with total honesty being the only prerequisite. They had both learned a lot about each other. Steve had been surprised to learn that Clint was deaf and that Tony had created a device that all but erased his impairment. Clint had been surprised to learn that the rumours about Steve and Bucky's relationship had been true once upon a time. As straight-laced as Captain America was perceived, illegal homosexuality seemed absolutely his style. Steve told him everything about how Bucky was back then. It wasn't until Steve was telling him about a particular double date that he realised how alike the two were. He made a checklist of comparisons in his head.

\- Unnaturally attractive, the kind of attractiveness that made anyone sitting next to them feel insecure? Check.

-Impressive prowess in the bedroom? Double check.

-Natural charisma that was only dimmed by understandable paranoia? Absolutely.

-A killer smirk? You bet.

-Almost unparalleled sarcasm and wit? Oh, how Steve hated this particular comparison.

Steve shrugged at Clint's question. "I don't. I don't even know why Maria and Nat suggested this."

Clint rolled his eyes. "Are you already considering breaking up with me? I'm incredibly hurt by this, Steven. I think I might have to sleep on the couch tonight."

"We both know that's bullshit," Steve smirked at his pretend-boyfriend.

One of the upsides to their current situation: the sex. It was just as good as it had always been: Clint eager to please and Steve more than happy to let him.

"You know I would never pass up an opportunity to sleep with you," Clint chuckled quietly. "Though, seriously now, if the Buckster's gonna come looking for me, I need to be prepared."

"I'll give you two hundred dollars and a lifetime's supply of blowjobs if you call him that to his face."

Clint scoffed. "What? And lose both of my legs and possibly a few other important body parts? No thank you! Your mouth isn't that irresistible."

"We'll see about that," Steve licked his way up Clint's neck, stopping to suck on a sensitive spot.

Oh, something about Clint and Steve? They never kissed each other on the lips. It was one of Clint's cardinal rules; said it allowed him to get attached to people quicker. Steve inferred that it was because of his failed…whatever with Natasha before Steve had even met either of them.

Clint squirmed under Steve's ministrations and panted heavily. "Okay, I think you've made your point."

"I really don't think I have," Steve grinned boyishly and slid his hand up Clint's thigh until he reached the sweet spot.

Clint placed his hand atop of Steve's and smiled genuinely at him.

Steve saw a twinkle in Clint's eye that had never been there before and it made him curious.

"Everything okay?"

If Clint was somebody else, he would've explained his internal freaking out, but he wasn't that type of person. So he left Steve in the dark, perhaps just as in the dark as _he_ himself was about everything. Something had clicked, something strange and unexpected, but neither of them seemed to be privy to it.

Clint nodded. "Yeah, of course. A little tired, I guess."

"Oh, we don't have to do this. After all, we're dating now, we only have every day to get wild between the sheets."

"You wanna head up to bed anyway?"

And that was how Clint found himself sinking into Steve's arms as they wrapped around him from behind. He felt the soldier's breath on his neck, sending flashes of heat arcing through him. Usually it was Steve Jr. that accomplished such a feat, but now it was different. Clint knew that it was different and, as much as he was loathe to admit it to himself, he knew exactly what had changed between them.

Clint was having _feelings_.

* * *

 **Night #20- 1** **st** **April 2014**

Steve held his phone close to his ear as he tried to hear what Natasha was hurriedly saying. "Wait, what? Is this an April Fool's joke?"

Clint frowned as he gestured to Steve to ask what was going on.

"Alright, Nat. Thanks for the heads up."

"What was that about?"

Steve sighed. "Bucky. He's been sighted near here, seems to be planning an attack. Tomorrow, Nat thinks."

Clint paused. "And it's _not_ an April Fool's prank? Nat is deadly with those."

Then Steve went completely still. "Shit."

"Language," Clint admonished mockingly.

"No, this is serious, Clint. I think Bucky remembers. Well, the Winter Soldier remembers."

"How can you be sure?"

Steve swallowed. "Because I told him I loved him for the first time on April 2. Surely it can't be coincidence that he hasn't been sighted until today. If the Winter Soldier is _anything_ like Bucky, he knows what the date means."

Clint bit his lip. "Surely the point of the Winter Soldier is that he's nothing like Bucky? Coincidences _do_ happen, Steve."

"What are you trying to say?" Steve found himself growing angry, which was very unlike him. He guessed it was an instinctive Bucky reflex. Whenever anyway badmouthed him, his body reacted accordingly. Skinny Steve had gotten into many fights over people saying bad things about Bucky.

Clint noticed the tension and sighed shortly. "I'm not trying to say anything. I just…don't want you to get your hopes up, that's all. If Bucky isn't the way you remember him, it might disappoint you."

"He's a killer, Clint! He couldn't be more different that the Bucky I knew! I already know how different he is, I'm not a _child_."

Clint decided to say nothing more on the matter. He knew that Steve would calm down later and apologise, but he just needed that time to be around himself. Steve got the hint and stalked out of the room furiously.

As Clint predicted, it did not take long for Steve to come around.

"Clint…"

"Steve."

"I'm so sorry for how I spoke to you earlier. Bucky is…a sore spot with me. I spent so long thinking that he was dead and then I found out that he was a killer. He'd been manipulated by Hydra for so long. All of those stories in the museums about him, they're nothing if anybody finds out what they made him."

As Steve sat down, Clint put a reassuring hand on his thigh.

"Steve, I can't even imagine how hard it must be on you. I'm just scared that you'll confuse Bucky with whatever they made him. It's dangerous. _He's_ dangerous. I'm worried about you."

"But what if there's a way to get him back?"

"What if there isn't?"

Steve sighed. "You make good points, Clint. I'm glad you've been here with me throughout this." Steve's fingers sloppily threaded themselves through Clint's. "I promise, I don't have feelings for Bucky anymore. I won't let him hurt you."

Clint was still painfully aware of both his hand on Steve's thigh and his other hand linked through Steve's. "I won't let him hurt you, either. If it comes down to it, we have to stop him."

"We will," Steve agreed.

Steve looked into Clint's eyes and saw the same twinkle he had seen several times since they moved in together. Only now he knew what that twinkle was.

He had heard the earnest in Clint's voice when he was talking about fighting Bucky. He heard the fear. Steve could feel how tightly Clint was holding his hand. And how tightly _he_ was holding _Clint's_. He'd known for a while, he figured, but hadn't confronted it head on. Steve remembered an inexplicable burst of happiness when Fury ordered Clint to go undercover as his boyfriend. Steve remembered the first time he and Clint sat down to dinner together. He had just never put the pieces together.

Maybe now it was time to.

Steve decided to do it just as quickly as he had decided to hold Clint's hand. His head closed the space between he and Clint, his lips brushing against the archer's experimentally. Clint pulled back slowly and exhaled unsteadily.

"Steve?"

"Don't talk for a second."

"We don't do this," Clint pointed out.

"Maybe there was a reason we didn't," Steve retorted, pressing his lips to Clint's once more. "If you don't want this, you can say."

Clint paused for just a second before swinging his leg over Steve's, straddling him. "Oh, believe me, I want this."

Clint kissed him, hard, hands gripping either side of his head. They flocked to his hair, pulling it gently, then firmly as they responded to Steve's muffled moan for more.

"Bed?" Steve gasped as he tore himself away from Clint's talented mouth.

"I'm already there," Clint hopped off his lap and started for the stairs.

Looking back on it, Steve was glad everything worked out the way it did. On April 2nd, Bucky did indeed make an appearance. He didn't attack, at least not after he discovered that Steve was safe. It turned out that all Bucky wanted to do was make sure Steve was safe. After Washington, Bucky had been following potential threats to Steve's safety. He had eliminated more than a few, to which Steve was surprised. The way he saw it, Bucky was in a state of halves. He wasn't quite the Bucky he knew, but he wasn't totally the Winter Soldier, either. It was a comforting thing to witness.

As for Clint? Bucky appraised him, but had apparently tailed him a few times before when he wasn't sure where his allegiances were regarding Steve. Overall, Bucky approved.

And that was all Steve could have hoped for.


	2. Stubborn Archers

Chapter 2- Stubborn Archers

* * *

Nobody knew better than Steve Rogers how stubborn Clint Barton could be. They had been dating for over a year and it was the only thing that they had argued over. Particularly when Clint sustained an injury. His refusal to treat himself was a big issue in their relationship.

It was simply a sparring injury. For some reason, Clint had chosen to spar with Thor of all people. In only a few minutes, the God had flattened him against the floor, pressing all of his weight onto the archer. Clint _had_ asked Thor to go all out and not relent, so Steve couldn't actually blame Thor in any plausible way. Natasha had warned Clint many times about the dangers of fighting Thor. Even Black Widow herself had come close to losing the battle. Thor was a natural fighter, even without Mjolnir by his side. It was almost frightening watching him battle. Steve had made sure to watch, to step in if it got out of hand. Without the shield, of course. This wasn't _war_.

Clint had decided on an evasive manoeuvre, planning to make Thor tired and lose focus. Sadly, Clint underestimated the cognitive functions of an actual god. Thor was bright and sharp, even after twenty minutes of chasing Clint around and taking a few minor bangs to the head. Steve knew it was futile; Clint would lose eventually. He was silently and verbally rooting for his boyfriend, partly to try and inspire him and maybe discourage Thor a little bit, but none of it worked. Clint was distracted, too aware that Steve was watching. Their fights were even; sometimes Steve won and sometimes Clint did. They were quite well-matched in terms of strategy and Clint figured it was downright emasculating to have your boyfriend see you get trounced by a man who was bigger and more attractive than you were.

Clint chose the wrong moment to glance at Steve, who was watching with bated breath. Thor landed a hit which sent Clint to the floor, landing on his right arm in an awkward way.

A cry of pain alerted Steve to the situation. He was there like a...well, like an arrow. Direct, speedy and only one target in mind.

"Clint!"

Clint hissed uncomfortably. "I'm okay, Steve. I'm okay."

Thor bit his lip awkwardly and sighed. "Apologies, my friend. I do not always remember that I'm battling with humans. I can become preoccupied."

"Don't worry about it, Thor. I kept going and I didn't have to," Clint tried to smile, but the pain had overcome him.

"No. You didn't," Steve said sternly. "You went and got yourself hurt instead."

"Steve, I'm _fine_." It was clear to everyone that he wasn't.

Thor shook his head quickly. "Eye of Hawk, your arm is most likely broken. I cannot be sure without a closer look, but you should go and see Banner just to be safe."

"I don't need Bruce, I'll just go and get Nat to put it back into place."

Steve was furious. Seeing Clint in any sort of pain was not something he was accustomed to and it hurt like a bitch, even though Steve wasn't the one with an injury. "You absolutely will not. Part of being my boyfriend is getting medical attention when you require it."

"The boyfriend card? Really?" Clint groaned as Steve lifted him easily and carried him to the medical wing of the floor. There was one stationed on every floor, Tony had made sure of that when the first new occupant had moved in. It was a long story involving Natasha, Clint and a radio. Steve didn't even want to think about it. When Clint had told him the story, it had been too much to give a second thought.

"I was going to lure you to medical with the promise of tapping this tonight but I felt that was inappropriate giving present company." Steve planted a quick kiss on Clint's forehead.

Thor chuckled. "Worry not about me, friends. Sex is a common construct on Asgard. We have sex with whomever we feel like. It can happen whenever or wherever we are at the moment, as long as the parties all consent."

"All?"

"It is not limited to just two people, Agent Barton." Thor winked, leaving them in the medical wing, alone.

"Ah." Clint nodded slowly, wondering whether he wanted to hear more. It was almost like Steve was reading his mind.

"I think that's all we need to hear about that, actually."

"Where's Nat? Jarvis?" Clint spoke loudly to the AI.

Steve had an idea. "Jarvis, if you tell Clint where Nat is, I'll bring Peter back for you to talk to."

Jarvis whirred to life suddenly. "Uh…sorry Agent Barton. I didn't even think that an A.I could _get_ a headache, but Mr. Parker talks more than Mr. Stark does."

"Good play, Rogers," Clint grunted.

He grinned smugly in response. "You should know that I take the wellbeing of my boyfriend very seriously. Jarvis, if you could let Bruce know that we need him."

"Of course, Captain Rogers, right away."

"Why does he listen to you?" Clint asked exasperatedly.

Steve shrugged, grinning. "What can I say, I'm lovable."

Clint laughed, wincing as he did.

"See why you should know your limits? You're hurt." Steve cradled Clint's face lovingly.

"It's not like I haven't been injured training before! Nat breaks at least one of my bones on a regular basis."

"No she doesn't! You're making that up so you can get yourself of the hook."

"You caught me," Clint murmured, rolling his eyes, ignoring the throbbing pain in his chest and head.

"So someone's been trampled by an Asgardian, I believe?" Bruce smirked as he entered the medical wing.

"I'm _fine_!"

"He's _not_."

"Am too."

"Children, please. Bickering isn't going to help anyone. Now, what exactly happened?"

Steve recounted the story as quickly as possible, ignoring Clint's attempts to intervene.

"I see. This isn't the first time I've had to deal with an injury caused by Thor."

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell her I said this, but Nat tried the exact same thing a while back. Thor flattened her. She demanded a rematch and won, though. Got right back up with three broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. And won."

Clint grunted. "Great, so it's just me who's a huge failure at life and everything else."

"Honey, stop being melodramatic," Steve rolled his eyes. "You're a wonderful fighter, you know that. With your bow, you could beat anybody any time of the day."

Clint swatted Steve's arm, wincing at the pain that stabbed through his own.

Bruce clicked his tongue. "You guys are adorable. I feel the sudden need to vomit all over myself."

Clint groaned. "Can you fix me, Doc? I need to be at full strength if I'm going to beat Steve's ass for making me go through this."

Bruce winced. "I'm going to need you to not mention beating Steve's ass for the rest of your life."

Steve looked aghast, turning a violent shade of red. "How does the arm look, Dr. Banner?"

Bruce smiled. "It's going to be fine. As long as you don't use your bow or do anything too strenuous with your arm for about a week, maybe two, you should be in perfect condition."

Clint sent a smirk in Steve's direction. "I think Steve can take excellent care of me until I'm better."

Steve snorted. "So _now_ you're following medical advice? There's a first."

Clint sighed. "Well, I _suppose_ if it's going to make me better, it can't be too bad, now can it? Besides, it gives you an excuse to wait on me for twenty four hours a day until I'm fully healed. Otherwise, I might just ruin my recovery doing something too strenuous. Will you be there for me Steve? Will you help me?"

"I hate you."

Steve glared daggers at him the whole time they walked up to Clint's floor.

The things he had to promise in order for Clint to let Bruce do his stuff were things that Steve never thought he'd ever sign up for before dating Clint. All day every day service, bringing Clint food and drinks, playing games with him and dressing and undressing him every day. Sometimes, Clint would request an outfit change merely minutes after changing just to "give Steve something to do". Steve also had to help Clint in the shower. Having one arm really limited was Clint was able to do.

As Clint smirked at him, naked in the shower, Steve supposed that looking after Clint all the time wasn't _too_ bad…


	3. Intruder Alert

Chapter 3- Intruder Alert

* * *

Clint landed, much like he always did, on the balls of his feet.

As a thief, he had to be sneaky.

As someone who broke into rich people's houses on a nightly basis, he had to be completely silent, something that he had perfected over the years.

Sometimes, though, he was actually surprised that he hadn't been caught yet. Not in his four years of a pulling a Robin Hood each night in a different place, nobody had ever discovered him. Sure, he had seen reports of people wanting their things back, but nobody had ever suspected it was him. He used to work as part of a double team, but his partner Scott Lang had wanted to quit the stealing so that he could become a better role model for his daughter. Clint thought that was admirable and actually preferred working alone. It allowed him to slip in and out even quicker than usual. Scott would still chip in, occasionally, helping him with disarming alarms and spotting the empty houses on the streets, but he mostly left Clint alone.

The window of this particular house was already partially open, a silly move on the owner's parts. All Clint had to do was slowly push it upwards and slither through it, coming to a crouch, hissing as the cold wooden floor met his bare feet. He never wore shoes or even socks. Both caused too many risks when exploring different surfaces. Clint was short and light on his feet, he didn't need any unnecessary distractions hindering him from doing his "job" properly.

This house, though, he wasn't adequately prepared for. He had his plan in place, his exits covered, layouts memorised, possessions checked and the alarms disabled.

All he had forgotten to do was follow the owner for a night or two to check their habits.

And that would be the reason Clint finally got himself caught.

"Who's there?" A deep voice rang out in the darkness. Clint gritted his teeth, hiding behind the bed in the spare bedroom like his life depended on it. Perhaps it might have, had the speaker not be somebody he actually knew.

Clint knew he recognised the voice, he just couldn't place it.

"Show yourself and this doesn't have to get ugly."

Then it clicked.

Clint clapped a hand over his mouth. _Oh my god, I broke into Captain America's house._

"Clint?"

A half-naked Steve Rogers was peering over him, flashlight in hand, frowning.

Clint laughed uncomfortably because the irony was so strong. "Hey there, Cap." He tried to keep his eyes glued to Steve's face, but his gaze occasionally flickered to both the well-built physique Steve possessed and the large bulge in his boxers. He couldn't be blamed, Steve in underwear was the hottest thing anybody could ever see. He was a warm blooded male, it was out of his hands.

Steve crossed the room and flicked the light on, clicking off the flashlight with a small sigh. "What are you doing here, Clint? I mean, I think I already know, but I don't want to be right so you'd better explain before I fill in the blanks myself."

Clint was stuck. He could tell the truth or he could lie. He was pretty sure that lying to Captain America was the equivalent of kicking a three legged cat, so he opted for the truth. _Damn. There goes my "I'm homeless and needed a place to crash" excuse_. _I've been waiting to use that one for a while now. It's a genius idea._

"I…uh…I was breaking in."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I can see that, genius. No, I mean, why are you in my house at three thirty in the morning?"

Clint fidgeted with his shirt as he stood up. "I was…um…I'm not sure how to word this."

"You were stealing from me?"

"No. Well, yes, but _no_ ," Clint stammered, unsure how to explain without getting his ass handed to him by Steve Rogers. "I wasn't stealing from _you_ specifically. I was kinda stealing from the _house_."

"The house that I own?"

"No! Yes. But no."

"I think I get it. You didn't know I live here, did you?" Steve smirked.

"Nope, I was a little unprepared tonight," Clint sighed sadly. "Look, man, I get it if you wanna knock my lights out or throw me out the window, but I didn't take anything so I can just leave without this causing any tension."

Steve sighed. "Clint, wait. I'm not going to beat you up and you don't have to leave. You can…come in and we can talk."

Clint tilted his head in confusion. "You want me to stay?"

"If you want to." He looked down suddenly. "Oh, I'll just go and put some clothes on. Feeling a little exposed all of a sudden."

Clint smirked. "Don't stop on my account."

Steve shrugged. "Okay."

That was the thing that both amused and intrigued Clint most about Steve Rogers. He had always been traditional and predictable but lately, he was inclined to go left when you expected him to go right.

He padded after Steve into the living room of his beautifully decorated house. There was a large coffee table in the centre of the space, inches away from a comfortable-looking sofa, which Steve nonchalantly sat down on.

"You live here all by yourself?"

Steve cocked his head. "Shouldn't you know this? Being a thief and all?"

Clint licked his lips unconsciously. "I told you, I was unprepared. By the way, you should enable your alarm."

He frowned. "My alarms are… _oh_. Well, you very nearly thought of everything. Using the spare room is a good move. I never go in there. It just so happens that I was awake, getting some water and the door was open."

Clint was a little angry that Steve _wasn't_ angry. He supposed that he should've been relieved, but he didn't know why he wasn't. "Why are you being so cool about this? I broke inside your house, you should be furious."

Steve patted the seat next to him on the couch, which Clint took gratefully. "Because I get it, Clint. I know why you do this."

"You do?"

"You don't think I haven't noticed these large donations cropping up all over the city for charities that you're actively invested in. Animal shelters, deaf charities, things that you're passionate about. It didn't really hit me until I saw you, all dressed in black with no shoes or socks on…do I even want to know?"

Clint shrugged. "Makes me quieter."

"Ah, okay. Well, I fully intended on beating the shit out of whoever broke into my home until I saw that it was you. Don't get me wrong, I was surprised, but less so once I realised. You're a modern day Robin Hood. Makes sense with the bow and everything."

Clint had noticed the symbolism. "Do you mind if I take my hearing aids out? They're bugging me a little today. I can read your lips, though."

Steve smiled. **Not at all** , he signed.

Clint's heart melted at the sight of Steve signing the words to him. It always meant so much that somebody would take the time to learn what was literally a whole different language just to make things easier for him. It really did warm his heart. _Thank you_ , Clint signed back.

 **Do you want a drink or anything?**

Clint signed a negative response.

They talked for what seemed like hours about anything and everything. Movies, television, music, art, politics, their fellow Avengers. They were discussing Tony and Bruce's latest science project when Steve let out an almighty yawn.

Clint quickly checked his watch. _Damn, it's six thirty! Sorry, Steve, I didn't mean to keep you up for this long._

Steve shrugged. **I didn't realise I was tired until just now.**

 _Me neither, actually. I'd better get home then._ Clint rolled his eyes, not looking forward to the walk home. He never used vehicles, somebody could easily tie him to the theft and cars were way too loud, especially during the night hours.

Steve seemed to notice his frustration and sighed **. You could always just stay here, he signed. Before you talk about imposing, it's really no problem at all. Honestly, I'm insisting that you crash here tonight.**

 _Wow, this is the first time I've had a sleepover at a house I've tried to steal from. Thanks, man. I really appreciate it._

Steve smiled. **You're welcome. Come on, I'll find you something to sleep in.**

Clint rubbed the back of his neck. _I kinda just…sleep in my underwear. Clothes get too restricting_ , he signed back to Steve's understanding nod. _Well, this kind of worked out well. Look, I already know where the spare bedroom is._ Clint chuckled afterwards.

Steve tilted his head. **Oh, yeah, I was kinda hoping you'd just…stay in with me. I don't really like to sleep alone if I can help it. It's okay if you want your own space, though, I totally get it.**

 _Steve Rogers, are you trying to seduce me?_

 **That depends.**

 _On?_

 **Whether or not it's working…**

Clint gasped a little, Steve's serious expression turning a running joke into a serious option. Clint wasn't going to lie and say that he hadn't fantasised about sleeping with Captain America before he met Steve. Then afterwards, Steve became his own person separate from the shield and Clint wouldn't have minded getting some of that too. Basically, Steve Rogers was a perfect specimen and Clint would not be opposed.

Clint leaned forward and pressed his lips lightly against Steve's. _I'd say it was working._

Steve stood, cheeks red from the blush that settled over them and smirked. **I have to say, this is the first somebody has broken into my house just to sleep with me.**

 _That wasn't why and you know it._

 **Yeah, okay** , Steve signed with a roll of his eyes to indicate his sarcasm and he nodded to the hallway. **So there's a perfectly good bedroom waiting for us…**

Clint was already on his way there, stripping off his shirt and unbuttoning his jeans as he went. He was definitely always prepared.


	4. Accords

Chapter 4- Accords

* * *

"I have something I need to talk to you about."

Clint looked up, seconds away from firing an arrow straight through Steve's head. "You asking to get hit or something?"

"Yep. Sorry, should I have prefaced this with "I have something I need to talk to you about. Please shoot me between the eyes with an arrow, honey"."

"You're a sarcastic son of a bitch sometimes."

"Language, Clint," Steve smirked.

"What did you need?"

"It's kind of a sticky subject."

"Well as you know, I'm all about sticky stuff."

"Heathen. No, I mean...um..."

"So this is Avengers business? Even though you know that I retired from that shit."

"This is serious, Clint. There's going to be some kind of confrontation."

"Well, yeah, isn't that what usually happens with the bad guys? We piss them off somehow, they come crawling through portals and trying to kill us and then we confront them and send them all packing to whatever Podunk planet they came from."

"This isn't a case of simply fighting bad guys. You know about the whole Sokovia Accords business, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, there's a disagreement amongst us. Some of us want to sign, some of us don't."

"Let me guess. You don't want to sign, neither does Wanda and Sam will do anything so long as it helps you. Nat and Tony want to sign it and wherever Tony goes, Vision and Rhodes will follow him. Tony is trying to get you sign the Accords but you're not backing down and that's how it ends, with this big confrontation that you're talking about."

"You're good."

"I'm not, Nat called me about it pretty much fifteen minutes ago."

"She trying to recruit you?"

"I think so. Not sure what the right decision is. Why aren't you signing it?"

"Think of all the good we've done since we formed the initiative. We saved so many lives in New York, Washington, Sokovia, Lagos, hell the whole world by stopping Loki."

"Lagos? Did you really help people there?"

Steve grew angry. "Don't be like that, Clint. Crossbones was going to kill everybody there if he needed to. We saved more people than we hurt. Wanda already feels bad enough about it without people like you making it worse for her."

Clint held his hands up. "Sorry, sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm just mad about this whole thing separating us. We don't even know where Bruce and Thor are. I could really have used Nat on this one."

"Oh, thanks."

"You know what I mean. She feels bad about the damage to Washington and what's come of leaking the Hydra files."

"That was two years ago, Steve. She can handle it. She's handled worse."

"I get why she decided to sign, but I never thought she'd defend Tony."

"Nat doesn't fight for people, she fights for ideas. Morals. She'll go against all her friends and allies if it means doing what she thinks is right. She's kind of like you in that respect."

"Funny. What's your take on this, anyway?"

Clint shrugged. "I'm retired, remember. I don't get a vote."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Okay, for the sake of time, let's just go with the idea that you're semi-retired but you're gonna jump back into the action to help whoever you think is right for one last battle and then go back into the retirement."

"You see right through me. But why aren't you wondering why I'm not jumping to your side already?"

Steve shrugged easily. "Because you have allegiances on both sides. No matter what's happened, you and Nat always feel like you owe each other something. We're...us, so naturally you'd think about helping me. But that shouldn't matter. Ideally, I want you to fight for the side you think is right."

"Even if that means you're potentially recruiting for the other team?"

"If that's what you want."

"Bullshit, you came here to get me to fight with you and that's all there is to it. You're trying to be a good man by giving me an option when we both know there really isn't one, is there?"

"I'd love it if there wasn't. But I know I have to be impartial here. You're a person outside of our relationship and your choices are important. If you want to sign the Accords, I'm not going to stop you from doing so."

Clint finally made a motion as to his opinion. "I can't sign them. Even if I wanted to, I could never do that. It's not the right thing to do."

Steve smirked.

"Stop that, you're not so innocent in this either. I know why you're not signing them, because of Bucky. And you know that whole situation could go from here to fucked up in a matter of moments."

"So why aren't you signing?"

"Jeez, you'd think you'd be a little more appreciative that I'm on your side, here."

"Clint."

"Fine. I'm not signing because of everything that's happened to me. If I signed the Accords, I'd be admitting that I think we're not doing the right thing by operating as we always have. Even before you were recruited, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been running the same way for years. Like you said, we've saved more lives than we would have planned on. New York was necessary, as was Sokovia. Both of those were world-ending circumstances. What would General Ross have done if we failed? Well, nothing, because he wouldn't be alive to reprimand us."

Steve's smirk had faded and was replaced with a genuine smile of appreciation. He knew that Clint had more inside of him, though.

"Plus, if they'd been operating during the Sokovia mess, they surely wouldn't have let us do what we wanted. Sure, Ultron wouldn't have been a threat either, but it would've only been a matter of time before the next one occurred. There are more...Loki characters in the universe. On Earth and the planets we've never even heard of. What would be stopping them from attacking us if we were disbanded?"

"God I love when you think with your head."

"Amongst other things."

"This isn't gonna cause problems with you and Nat, right?"

Clint shrugged lightly. "This is gonna cause problems with everyone involved. Me and Nat. You and Nat. You and Tony. Me and Tony. Wanda and Vision. The list goes on. You can't have a blowout like this and not expect some rifts to occur.

"And don't worry about me and Nat. We've been through much worse than a squabble over some documents."

"You keep saying that, am I ever going to hear the story of what happened in Budapest?"

Clint's mouth tightened. "Come on, a guy's gotta have some secrets. I told you about my days in the circus, isn't that enough?"

"Not that I didn't appreciate the sharing, but you and Nat in Europe pulling what can only be described as "some illegal stuff"? It's a story for the ages."

"And that's why you don't just get to hear it one day on a whim. You gotta earn it."

Steve slithered closer, in a manner one wouldn't have thought physically possibly for such a broad, tall guy. "Oh yeah? And I haven't...earned it yet?"

Clint breathed in quickly. "Nope," he muttered, trying to maintain his cocky aura and hopelessly failing.

Steve's hands reached downwards and he smirked. "How about now?"

Clint put his hands on Steve's muscled shoulders. "You're getting warmer."

Steve grasped Clint's crotch gently, rubbing after he let go. "Nah, I think I'm good."

Clint swore furiously. "Such a fucking tease."

Steve held up his hands. "Sorry I interrupted your retirement then, I guess."

Clint put down his bow and grinned. "Let's be honest, retirement wasn't ever really an option for me. Fury didn't really agree to it, either, I just kinda fell off the grid."

Steve pulled out his phone and waved it about. "Clint, babe? You're never really off the grid."

"I was afraid of that."


End file.
